Converting a YouTube video to MP3 with a third-party site or app goes against YouTube's Terms of Service in almost every case, because the Terms allow downloading only where YouTube itself authorizes it. Whether it also breaks copyright law is a separate question that depends on who owns the content, what you do with the file and the law where you live. Below are both questions and the ways YouTube does let you get audio and video offline. This is general information, not legal advice.
What YouTube's Terms of Service say
The “Permissions and Restrictions” section of YouTube's Terms lists things you are not allowed to do. The first is to:
“access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders.”
A converter that takes a link fetches the video from YouTube and hands you a file. YouTube doesn't expressly authorize that, and you don't have written permission, so neither exception applies. Another item in the same list prohibits accessing the Service “using any automated means (such as robots, botnets or scrapers)” except for public search engines following robots.txt or with YouTube's prior written permission.
The Terms are a contract between you and YouTube. They say YouTube may suspend or terminate your Google account or your access to the Service if you materially or repeatedly breach the agreement.
Copyright law is a separate question
Copyright is law rather than contract, and it varies by country. A few factors usually decide the outcome:
- Who owns the work. Your own uploads and public-domain material are different from a commercial music video. YouTube also lets uploaders mark videos with a Creative Commons CC BY license, which allows other creators to reuse them with attribution.
- What you do with the copy. Keeping a file for yourself, sharing it with others and re-uploading it are treated very differently in most legal systems.
- Rules on technical protection. Some countries separately prohibit getting around technical measures that control access to works. South Korea's Copyright Act, for example, does this in Article 104-2, and doing it as a business or for profit carries criminal penalties under Article 136.
Because these depend on the facts and the jurisdiction, there's no single legal answer for everyone. What is consistent is the contract: outside YouTube's own features, downloading isn't authorized by the Terms.
Common situations
| Situation | Within YouTube's Terms? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Saving videos for offline viewing in the YouTube app with Premium | Yes, it's a YouTube feature | Where Premium is available; for playback in the app |
| Downloading your own upload in YouTube Studio | Yes | MP4 at 720p or 360p; each video up to five times per day |
| Exporting all your uploads with Google Takeout | Yes | Your own videos only |
| Using Audio Library tracks in your own videos | Yes | Creative Commons tracks need credit in the description |
| Pasting a link into a “YouTube to MP3” site | No | Not authorized by the Service |
| Converting a video you recorded yourself | Not a YouTube question | It's your own file |
Legitimate ways to get it offline
YouTube Premium. Where Premium is available, members can download videos in the YouTube mobile app and watch them without a connection. These downloads are for playback inside the app, not MP3 files you can move elsewhere.
Your own uploads. In YouTube Studio, select Content, pick the video, then Menu › Download. Google says you get an MP4 at 720p or 360p depending on the original size, and an individual video can be downloaded up to five times per day. To get all your uploads at once, use Google Takeout. If you then want only the audio, run the MP4 through Video to MP3 on this site.
The original file. If you made the video, the copy on your phone or camera is better than the version YouTube re-encoded. Convert that instead.
Free music for your own videos. The Audio Library in YouTube Studio offers production music and sound effects you can use in your videos without copyright claims. Tracks under a Creative Commons license must be credited in the video description.
Licensed music services and the artists themselves. Many artists sell downloads directly, and music services offer offline listening within their apps.
Why this site doesn't take YouTube links
Inplace converts files that are already on your device and does not download from YouTube or any other streaming site. Adding that feature would mean doing exactly what YouTube's Terms rule out. If you have a file you're entitled to use, such as your own recording or a video you downloaded from YouTube Studio, the Video to MP3 and Audio cutter tools work on it without uploading anything.
Again, this is not legal advice. For a specific use, such as putting a clip in a commercial project, ask a lawyer where you live or contact the rights holder.